India, April 11 -- A remake of Robert Littell's 1981 Cold War-era novel, The Amateur, sets out to be a brooding espionage thriller for the post-9/11 generation. Directed by James Hawes, the film trades in the Soviet paranoia of the original for something more contemporary: shadowy CIA black ops, false flag operations, and the grief-fueled journey of a man turned assassin. With Rami Malek playing against type as a desk-bound cryptographer who forces his way into fieldwork, the film builds an intriguing setup. Unfortunately, after a strong start, The Amateur begins to sag under the weight of its ambitions and tonal confusion.

The plot centres on Charlie Heller (Malek), a brainy, unassuming CIA codebreaker who discovers a web of unauthorize...